Study reveals that loneliness prompts people to crave cake - Food Files

Apr 05, 2024

And yep, it's worse for women.

In news that reads like an entry in Bridget Jones’ Diary, a new study out of UCLA has revealed that feelings of loneliness prompt cravings for cake. Unfortunately, the study also revealed that this phenomenon affects women more than it affects men.

Women who perceive themselves to be lonely exhibited activity in regions of the brain associated with cravings and motivation towards eating, especially when shown pictures of high calorie foods such as sugary foods. The same group of women also had unhealthy eating behaviours and poor mental health.

The researchers described the cycle as “vicious” and we described the study as “duh.”

The women in the study were shown pictures of food versus non-food, sweet food versus non-food and savoury food versus non-food. MRI scans recorded the participants’ brain activity while they viewed these images.

P110 Hazelnut meringue cake with chocolate mousse and raspberries

The researchers found that the women who perceived themselves to be lonely experienced increased activation in regions of the brain associated with cravings to eat sugary foods, and decreased activation in the brain region associated with self-control towards eating behaviours.

Postdoctoral researcher and lead author Xiaobei Zhang explained, “If you have more cravings, you eat more and may have more anxiety or depression, which may lead you to eat more.”

The link between feelings of isolation and depression are hardly groundbreaking, however the women in the study were asked about their support systems and found those who were more socially isolated had higher levels of body fat and reported having a worse diet, greater cravings and more uncontrolled eating.

Arpana Gupta, Ph.D., a researcher and co-director of the UCLA Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, wanted to research the negative impacts of loneliness, especially as people continue to be working remotely after the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the brain interplays with social isolation, eating habits, and mental health.

However, a great number of studies found that people were significantly happier when working from home. Those working full time at home or in a hybrid model report job satisfaction and wellbeing to be stable or improved. They also report a reduction in work-family conflict – this is particularly so for women.

So what’s the solution? The researchers of UCLA, who receive an estimated $1.4 billion in funding grants each year, suggest that self-care is the way to go. When women are kinder to themselves, they may feel less reliance on sugary foods for comfort and the associated systemic shame that comes from unhealthy relationships with food.